Automobiles and other vehicles (such as aerospace and marine vehicles) employ dashboards and instrument clusters having a number of mechanical parts, including various analog instruments, meters, complex wiring mechanisms, circuit boards, etc. which are assembled together. These largely mechanical dashboards thus require intricate installation and servicing requirements, and each mechanical component suffers from gradual, inevitable wear and tear that may necessitate their replacement.
Vehicle dashboards and instrument clustered are typically arranged near the driver's side of the vehicle. However, the driver is still often required to interact with the vehicle's central console in order to access certain vehicle functions such as control of the internal environment (e.g. cabin temperature), navigation systems, audio/video playback devices, etc. The position of the central console is typically aligned with the vehicle's midline. The central console thus presents a continuing distraction to driving and may also be inconvenient for the driver to access. Like vehicle dashboards, central consoles also include mechanical components which require installation and replacement due to inevitable wear and tear.
Thus, systems and methods which are context-aware, capable of adapting to different vehicle states, and/or capable of merging critical or high priority vehicle-related information sources with non-critical or low priority non-vehicle-related information sources while at the same time enhancing safety are needed.